Hola Valencia

On Friday night, we checked out Café del Duende, which is a small flamenco bar on the western outskirts of the city center.

The bar is so small that you might have trouble believing that any sort of show could possibly take place — let alone a full performance with dancing. But the small stage, closely packed tables and the smoky, crowded atmosphere lend the performance a wonderful intimacy.

Friday night’s performance started at 11:30. By showing up nearly an hour early, we were able to claim the last open spots at a table, which we shared with a friendly Spanish couple. They weren’t the only locals in the place — only a small number of tourists seemed to be present.

The show was great; extremely lively, and the crowd was encouraged to participate during some of the more uptempo songs. The raven-haired woman sitting directly in front of the stage clapped along to the music the most insistently, pausing only to take another drag off her cigarette. But if a tourist were to clap, let alone shout out “¡Vale!”, she would spin around in her seat and punish him with a devastatingly haughty glare. Clapping and yelling was her domain! The Flamenco Queen!

We loved her.

Café del Duende offers a couple performances every week, so make sure to check their website if you’re interested. Entrance was €7, and drinks are modestly priced.